Coppell Lions had a banner evening at their District Convention.  Of the 63 clubs in the district, the Coppell Lions Club was singled out for outstanding service to their community and named the “Club of the Year.”  Setting the stage for a memorable year ahead, Coppell’s own Bill Smothermon was presented a giant gavel as the incoming District Governor.  And, Lion Dan Madden was recognized as the Coppell’s Grass Roots Lion of the Year.

Bill Smothermon is recognized as one of the true servant-leaders in Coppell.  He has served on City Council and in leadership positions in his church.   His dedication to serving our community as a Lion includes two decades of championing Coppell’s holiday food and toy drive.  The last time the Coppell Lions Club was named Club of the Year was when Smothermon served as club president.  His visionary leadership skills have led him to progressively higher positions in the Lions organization, including service on the boards of Lions Charities and positions in the district cabinet.  It is only fitting that he be the one to lead area Lions in celebrating their rich heritage.

This coming year will be extra special for Lions as they mark their 100^th anniversary with centennial service projects and celebrations.    The Lions organization was founded in 1917 in Chicago.   In the fall of that same year, the first Lions convention was held in Dallas, Texas.  Marking that special event anniversary will be an international gathering of Lions in Dallas hosted by District 2-X1 under Smothermon’s leadership.     Although Smothermon just received his gavel, the planning for this event has been underway for more than a year.

The Lions’ motto is “We Serve.”  This year the Coppell Lions Club President, Ed Darling, added the tagline, “We do it often; we do it well!” and guided the club to focus more specifically on the process of serving.  The Club launched a Leo Club at Coppell High School to engage more with the youth of our community.   In keeping with the Lions Centennial Challenge, they completed service projects in each of the four areas of focus:  vision, youth, hunger and the environment.  Under the leadership of Lion Ed Sircy, they began shifting their community support from event sponsors to community partnerships.

“Knowing that Lions are all about service and that the spotlight of the Centennial Year will demand even more of us, our club felt that it was important to refine our service processes so that we begin the Centennial Year at full stride.  It was a high honor to receive recognition that our club’s dedicated efforts were visible in our service,” noted Darling.        

The “Grass Roots Lion of the Year” is selected by vote of the club members to recognize a “rising star” with between 1 and 5 years of membership.   Lion Dan Madden’s service area of choice is working with youth.  He served as sponsor for the Leo Club at CHS and headed the scholarship committee.   He is a willing volunteer for all club activities and was selected, along with his wife Julie, to attend the Emerging Lions Leadership Institute in Denver.  Lion Dan was also the club’s Lion of the Year last year and will serve as First Vice-President this coming year.